Activities & Schedule

Arrival and check-in at Hotel Heliconia
You will be spending your first night at Heliconia before departing the next morning for Coiba. Please confirm with Tanager Tourism regarding logistics & payment arrangements. You can ask any question that you can think of and we will try our best to answer.

Tour Itinerary

Arrival
Check in starts at 2pm. Dinner will include all participants. Your guide will be at hand around 7pm and present a brief overview of the agenda, which depends on the tides. You’ll get some tips on what to bring with you.

Day 1
In the morning the Hotel departure is at 8am for the 10 minute drive to the harbor. We leave around 8.20am for Coiba. Our boat will follow the northern shore of Cébaco Island, passes Santa Catalina and finally continues straight to Coiba. During the boat ride you might see dolphins, pelicans, frigate birds and terns.

Estimated arrival time on Coiba is around 11am, depending on tides and currents. After arrival, time is provided to settle into the camp before heading out for the first snorkel excursion at Islas Cocos. The islet is famous for schools of reef fish and jacks. Walking the Sendero Dos Monos trail is the next item on the agenda, looking for monkeys and forest birds. The trail leads through primary forest. Time allowing we might visit a few rocky islets looking for seabirds. Back at the campsite there is time to enjoy the beach and chill out in a hammock.

Day 2
Exploration of two different reefs in the morning. At Isla Machete snappers, white-tip reef-sharks (harmless), as well as small rays can often be seen. Granito de Oro is famous for its abundance of hawksbill sea turtles and large schools of fish. With luck, you might see an octopus. In the afternoon a trip into the mangroves is on the agenda, were you might see all sorts of water birds and perhaps an American crocodile. Next we’ll walk the Los Pozos trail, which leads through secondary vegetation forest edges, some primary forest, and also hot springs. This is a good place to see monkeys and the endemic Coiba spinetail. We will be back at our campsite late in the afternoon.

Day 3
Time to pack up our gear, load the boat and cross back to Hotel Heliconia where we return around noon. A light lunch and a shower will be waiting for you before we say Goodbye.

The guide will adapt the itinerary according to the tides and the groups’ specific interests, making sure you get the most out of your visit!

BTW, we’d be happy to custom design a tour for you and your group! Please don’t hesitate to contact us with your special interests and we will present a proposal to you. One-night trips are also possible, please get in touch if your time is limited. Thank you!